An Indian Romance
by 9dottyheart9
Summary: Luc's off to India with a plan set firmly in his mind: find Eddi, be together. However, life's never that simple, and Luc will have to overcome a number of obstacles, including a less than comfortable plane journey, to be with her. Can he really let go of the past and finally live the life he's been holding back from?
1. Chapter 1

**This is what I'm hoping is going to be multi-chapter story based around what was my favourite TV couple: Leddi. Where the BBC left off, I'm continuing. This first chapter contains my OC but I hope you all enjoy it. Let me know if you think it's worth me continuing in the comments section. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Holby, its characters and please don't rely on any facts given. I have no idea about the likelihood of different aeroplanes crashing!**

Chapter 1

"No" he thought. "No, please no, not today. Any other time but this one. I need to think. No, no, no…" But sure enough the 20 stone-weighing fat guy, who had never heard of deodorant, plonked himself down next to Luc without a care in the world.

"Why is it always me?" Luc wondered to himself. He was now pressed tight up against the window and was beginning to experience cramp before the plane had even taken off.

"Oh sorry buddy. I put on a little over the Christmas period. You know what it's like…"

"More than a little…" Luc thought, but only smiled politely.

"This is a Boeing 767- this type of plane has had 5 times as many crashes as its smaller sister, the 747. Of course, I tried to switch planes as soon as I found out but they wouldn't give me a refund on the ticket. I really didn't want to come, but my brother told me I had to. This is the first time I've ever been on a plane. Unsteady structures aren't they? I've never understood why someone would want to travel in one…." And it seemed he was afraid of flying. Fantastic. Luc shut his eyes, took a few deep breaths and tried to remember why he was aboard.

"For Eddi, for Eddi, for Eddi…." He told himself. The next 10 hours were just something he was going to have to endure.

"Are you a frequent flyer? No wait, you mustn't be. If you were, you'd be dead by now. Are you a fan of air crash investigation? I am. It opened me up to a whole new world of things to be prepared for. I've brought my own oxygen mask. I once saw an episode where they didn't work on a plane in 1976. Terrible disaster. I wouldn't trust the aeroplane's supply…" The guy just kept talking.

"You say you've never flown before" Luc said, having to interrupt the man in the process.

"No. It's an absolute death trap. It was brother who made me, wanted to show me I'd be alright. Yeah, as if…"

"Uh huh, and considering your, urm, reservations, did you really think that a 10 hour flight to India was the best place to start?"

"What are you saying? Do you think something might happen? My horoscope said I would face difficulties this week…. Oh lord, we're all going to die, aren't we?"

"No, no. I'm sure everything will be fine. I just meant…" Luc sighed. "Nothing, never mind." This kind of person exasperated him to no end. There was no being rational with him. Luc decided to get out his laptop- there was an article he'd downloaded to read, and thought it might mean the man next to him would find someone else to tell his problems to. If only.

"That's a laptop." He said. Luc had to tell himself to refrain from his usual sarcasm- he didn't think it would be appreciated in this particular situation. He smiled sweetly.

"Yes it is."

"And it uses electricity." It was becoming increasingly difficult for Luc to hide his frustrations. I mean, talk about stating the obvious.

"Yep."

"Well aren't you worried how that might interfere with the engines?" The plane hadn't even started yet.

"What?"

"It might interfere with the main systems. I saw this thing on the National Geographic where…"

"Oh look, the fasten seatbelts sign has come on. You need to put your seatbelt on now" Luc said quickly, stopping him mid-sentence. The seatbelt was too small for the man and he had to call someone over to get him an extension. Luc saw his opportunity and quickly shut his eyes in order to pretend he was asleep. He had a lot of thinking he needed to do, without interruption from nervous flyers. Eddi: he had to find her.

Two hours into the flight, Luc was brought back to the present by the sudden rapid breathing beside him. He sighed, there was a huge part of him that wanted to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep again, but he knew this wasn't an option. He was a doctor after all, and doctors always helped.

"Urm excuse me. Are you alright?"

"No, I'm having a panic attack."

"Oh for goodness sake" Luc muttered inaudibly under his breath.

"The plane, it keeps rocking. That's not good. There could be something wrong with the horizontal stabilizer, or the…" he was speaking far too quickly and his breaths were getting faster and shorter.

"Okay, just relax. It's only turbulence- it's nothing to worry about. I need you take nice deep breaths for me."

"It's definitely something to worry about. I need a doctor."

"I am a doctor."

"Have you got any proof of this?" How this man was able to worry about something so trivial at a time like this was beyond Luc.

"No? But I am."

"No, I need to know for certain. Don't touch me."

"Right, now you need to listen to me. Your breathing in erotic, your heart is beating way too fast and palpating. You're sweating and shaking and no doubt feel like you're going to die. This needs to stop and you need to let me help. Now would you please take nice deep breaths?" Luc almost shouted. A few people looked around and an air hostess went to get oxygen. She handed it to Luc.

"Thanks" he mumbled putting the mask over the man's head. He didn't resist, or even complain that it was the plane's oxygen rather than his own. His heart rate was coming back down to normal, and the colour flooding back into his cheeks.

"Feel better?" Luc asked after a few minutes. The man just nodded. Luc resumed his old position, shut his eyes, and thought of Eddi. However, he quickly opened them again, as he felt something on his shoulder and heard what could only be described as a fog horn next to him. The man's head was now rested at the top of Luc's arm, and he was snoring so loudly that Luc was sure those on the ground would be able to hear it, if they listened closely enough.

"Still…" Luc thought. "Better he's asleep than having any more panic attacks." He sighed once again. There were just another 8 hours to go.

At last, 10 hours after take-off, the plane finally landed. A voice rang out over the intercom with a thick Indian accent.

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We have successfully arrived in Coimbatore, Kerala. The time is 10am locally. We hope you've enjoyed flying with us today and we will see you again shortly. May I remind to please leave your seatbelts fastened until the sign is gone and to take care when removing items from the overhead lockers. Thank you." The announcement was then repeated in Hebrew, giving Luc an opportunity to wake his sleeping 'friend'.

"We've landed. We're in Kerala!" Luc struggled to keep the excitement out of his voice. The man opened his eyes and blinked a few time.

"We have? We have! We really have! I didn't die!" He proceeded to pull Luc into an enormous hug, smothering him in the process. Luc struggled to breathe and pushed him away slightly, but the man continued to beam. Suddenly, his eyes went darker and glee vanished from his face.

"Did I miss them serving lunch?" he whined. Luc could only smile. He walked from the plane through the tunnel and into the terminal, where, at last, he was able to feel some of the famous Indian heat. He went through passport control, collected his luggage and walked out into the now blazing mid-day sun. He removed the picture of Elise from his wallet and smiled. She'd want him to do this; she'd want him to be happy. With that, he put the picture back and instead pulled out the postcard from Eddi. He was going to find her.

**Thanks very much for reading! See you soon **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, thanks for all the feedback! It spurs me on! Here's chapter two, so let me know what you think, good or bad. I'll try and keep the chapters coming as quickly as I can. We have to unite to keep Leddi alive ;)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Luc stepped out of the airport and stopped. The heat really was overpowering. There were people everywhere he looked, all rushing to wherever they needed to go. The street was loud with many people shouting. There were small children playing football with a scrunched up piece of newspaper, all pretending to be their favourite star, laughing with the naivety of childhood. As far as they were concerned, they would all grow up to be stars like the ones they heard about in books. He realised he didn't have a clue where to go; Eddi had left no details in her postcard other than Kerala. All around him, the world flew past, but Luc remained stationary, unaware of what his next step would be. He stared at the postcard intently- the picture showed lagoons. It didn't take a genius, or even a fellow, to work out that this was what he had to find. The question was, where were the lagoons in Kerala?

"क्षमा करें Do you speak English?" Luc asked the nearest man to him.

"Yes, a bit" replied a thick Indian accent.

"Great. Can you tell me which way it is to get to the lagoons in Kerala?" Luc spoke slowly, emphasising each word.

"The lagoons? Why sir, they're everywhere. They take up half of the state; it's so beautiful." The man spoke passionately about his home. Luc sighed in frustration. Finding Eddi was beginning to look like an impossible task.

"Thank you" he replied.

"Good day, sir. Enjoy your trip in Kerala. There is no place quite like it." The man walked off.

Luc was now completely stumped. Maybe Eddi had been so vague because she really didn't want to be found. Luc was tempted to turn around and get on the nearest flight home, but knew he couldn't do this. He had to stop running away from difficult situations. It was just... it was... it was just really hot. That was all. He had to think logically. What did he know about Eddi? Well, she was a nurse….And then it hit him, Eddi was a nurse! She loved being a nurse, and if she was staying out here for a while then she'd have to work, wouldn't she? Luc was just going to have to find a hospital!

There were loads of hospitals in Kerala; he just had to find the right one. Luc knew he could immediately rule out private hospitals; Eddi would never work there, on principal. He also knew it had to be in the south of Kerala, near to the lagoons and backwaters. However, this still left Luc with a number of hospitals. Luc decided he'd better get started. He started to hale a taxi (well more of a buggy), but hesitated as it arrived. What if he was completely wrong? He had no idea if Eddi was at a hospital or not. But Luc realised he had nothing else to go on; he had to try.

The first three hospitals he tried had been unsuccessful, and he was beginning to think it was hopeless. It had been hours, and he'd come up with nothing. There was also the fact that he'd had next to no sleep in the last 24 hours, however, that could be dealt with later.

The fourth building he reached was more remote to the others. It didn't look like a hospital exactly, more like a collection of hotels. However, it did sound like a hospital. Despite its far-flung location, it was just as busy, if not busier than the other ones had been. Indeed it looked more frantic, less organised. Luc decided it was worth a shot. He walked in and looked for the ward Eddi would be working on.

He found it. He saw the sign for AAU. It looked much like the one at Holby, except this one was written in Hindi. Luc didn't waste another second; he charged up the stairs to the ward in question and stood, panting slightly, in front of the desk.

"Aaaahhhaaaaiiii!" a voice rang out beside him. A nurse had her head in her hands and was screaming at him. She started talking very quickly in Hindi, and before Luc knew what was happening, he was dragged into a hospital. He immediately stood up, but the woman forced him back down again; Luc had to admit, she was pretty strong.

"Ai, ai , ai!"she cried, feeling Luc's head. Luc was confused and tried to speak to the woman.

"Listen, I'm…. woman….. nurse…." He tried to speak, but the woman kept shutting him up. She put a finger to her lips and looked very concerned. She began to try and attach a drip to Luc's arm, but Luc resisted.

"What are you…." A hand was placed over Luc's mouth, preventing him from speaking. This was one of the weirdest encounters Luc had ever come across. The woman looked increasingly distressed, and continued to mutter to herself, and occasionally scream. Luc shut his eyes for a second, however, soon opened them again. A voice had caught his attention.

"What's the problem here?" she asked, however, her voice trailed off as she looked at the patient in question.

"Oh nurse…. This man…. So pale….ghost" The woman fought desperately to describe the problem in the little English she knew, however, the senior nurse wasn't really listening. She was staring into two eyes she never thought she'd gaze into again. Her thoughts were interrupted by the woman beside her.

"He… urm… dead. He dead." Eddi was snapped back to reality.

"Ok Nurse Nayyar, I'll handle this case. You see to your other patients.

"But… he…. So white…"

"Go on, off you go". The Indian nurse left, but not before throwing a few more worried glances in Luc's direction.

The pair stared at each other for what felt like an eternity neither knowing how to begin. Suddenly, they both started talking at once, and had to stop. There was another silence between them, as they tried to telepathically decide who was going to talk first. In the end, they both started to speak at the same time again, and were forced to stop. Again. Eddi sighed, and gestured for Luc to begin.

"What was that Nurses' problem with me?"

"You're white."

"Blunt."

"She's never been out of Kerala before, all she's ever seen are the Indian people around her. She doesn't know about other ethnicities. That's why, when she saw you, she thought you were a very sick Indian because you were so pale."

"Oh." Luc said, starting to understand. "But I'm more tanned than you."

"Blunt." She replied.

"How come you're not bound to a hospital bed with millions of wires coming out of you?"

"You just have to explain it to her. She'll be fine with it afterwards. She's just a bit…"

"Simple?" Eddi glared at him.

"Uninformed…. About the world." There was another silence between them and they both looked away. At last, Eddi spoke.

"Why are you here, Luc?"

"Well…. I like to swim. Kerala's pretty famous for its lagoons. It seemed appropriate." Eddi sighed, he hadn't changed a bit.

"You're free to go now."

"Go?"

"Yep, there's nothing wrong with you, at least physically."

"Right… so I'll be off then?" This wasn't how he'd expected things to go. He wasn't sure exactly what it was that he'd been expecting, but not this. Was she getting him to leave?

"Uh-huh" she was trying to sound as laid-back as possible.

"I'm leaving now." He was clinging on to the hope that she'd ask him to stay.

"Okay." She was doing her best to come across as nonchalant.

"Well, bye then."

"Bye." Luc looked at her one last time, they made awkward eye contact and both looked away a little too quickly. With that, Luc exited the hospital.

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review as you leave!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who has read or reviewed my story so far! It really does mean a lot.**

**Here is le chapter de trois (just thought I'd go a tad francais!) Please review, they make me happy and keep the updates coming much faster!**

Luc walked out of the hospital, the sun just beginning to set. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened in the ward. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his alarmingly fats heart rate. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bench shaded by the building behind. He sat down and stared out across the town below. The hospital was situated high up on hills, meaning there was a fantastic view of life below. It also meant that Luc felt he was that little bit closer to the stars, and within that, Elise.

Thinking of Elise, and her unceasing lust for life, he decided that he couldn't be defeated yet. He had no idea how much longer Eddi's shift lasted, but that didn't matter; he'd wait all night if he had to. They weren't finished talking yet, even if it was just as a catch up between old acquaintances.

As it happened, Luc didn't have to wait all night, not even another hour. Eddi emerged from the hospital a few minutes after he'd sat down on the bench. She was no longer in her scrubs, but in shorts. Luc had never really viewed her as the short wearing type, but supposed it was too hot for her usual cropped jeans.

Eddi spotted Luc sat on the bench, and her heart jumped slightly. Why was he still here? However, as much as she tried to deny it, she was secretly flattered that he'd waited for her. But that didn't matter. Now wasn't the right time for them to talk; she'd have to avoid him somehow. There was just one problem: in order to leave, she had to walk past the bench. She tiptoed up closer and closer, and decided she'd have to go behind the bench in order to avoid being seen by Luc. The gap was a little small between the bench and the building, but she was adamant that she would fit. Luc was still absent- mindedly gazing out across the valleys as she went behind the bench, sucking in slightly as she did so.

Luc knew Eddi was behind him; he'd watched her walk from the hospital over to the bench and was slightly confused as to why she didn't just walk round like a normal person. The gap was barely big enough for a child, and if she really thought she would fit, then he was worried about her judgement. By now he could sense her presence behind him; he decided to turn around and face her.

"Eddi?" Eddi ducked down, as much by instinct as a thought out method. She let out a slight yelp as she dropped a little too enthusiastically, grazing her knees in the process and soon realised that ducking was hardly going to stop him from noticing her, but by now it was too late and she was just going to have to role with it.

"What are you doing?" Eddi was caught off guard and had to think quickly of a reasonable and justifiable explanation as to why she was on the floor behind a bench.

"Looking for something" she tried to sound confident about what she was saying.

"Right, yeah, looking for something." Luc nodded, understandingly.

"Yep, my… keys. I dropped my keys." Eddi was rather proud of herself. This seemed to be a perfectly reliable little story.

"Okay, I see. Your keys. Well, let me know when you find them."

"Oh look, here they are!" She pretended to pick something up and returned to her full height, her cheeks now notably more red than before. She intended to walk off and leave him, hopefully with some of her dignity still intact, however, as she went to take a step, she realised she wasn't going anywhere.

"So now that you've got your keys, I take it you'll be leaving?"

"Well, you get, um, a really good view from this spot actually. I think I might just stay here for a little while." Luc smiled, realising her situation.

"Oh right, sure. It's a magnificent view!"

"Yep. Amazing." They were no longer having a proper conversation, they were just humouring each other.

"Eddi" It was clear by Luc's voice that he was going to address the issue at hand.

"Are you stuck?" He could feel the imminent laughter in his throat, and was having to work rather hard to keep it at bay.

"Stuck? Me? No…"

"So, should I take it you don't want my help?" he smirked slightly, enjoying her embarrassment. It was finally beginning to feel like old times.

"What about the last time your tried to 'help', Luc. I mean, that didn't exactly go to plan, did it?" Eddi regretted the words as soon as she'd said them. It was like a reflex action; she just couldn't seem to help it. The smile had vanished from Luc's face and had been replaced by a look of hurt and shock. However, he soon regained his composure and his mouth returned to being expressionless. Eddi had done it; she'd addressed the elephant in the room. The topic that had been on both of their minds, but neither had been willing to acknowledge. "Luc, I... I'm sorry, I…" she tried to word some sort of an apology, but Luc cut her off.

"It's fine. Really." His voice was vacant and cold.

"I didn't mean…"

"I said it's fine." His voice was harsher this time, however, Eddi could see he was hurting. Why had she mentioned the drugs? The very thing that had driven them apart.

"But.. you…"

"Does 'it's fine' mean something different here in Kerala? Because everywhere else I've been to, it has generally been taken to mean '_it's fine'_!" He snapped. Now it was his turn to apologise.

"I'm… I'm sorry, I.." he took a few deep breaths, and Eddi was reminded of the time of the Legionaries outbreak when she'd gone to visit him in his van. Luc got up and moved the bench, thus freeing Eddi.

"Why did you come here Luc? And don't tell me it was for the lagoons." Luc was silent, gazing off into the distance. Eddi was annoyed by his lack of a response.

"I need to go home." She muttered, stomping off. She was beginning to descend down the hill when he spoke.

"I had a wife once…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all the wonderful comments so far; they really are an incentive to keep going! I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter so let me know your thoughts! Here goes…**

Chapter 4

Eddi froze. She didn't know if she'd heard properly. Did Luc Hemingway, the communally awkward, inept, sociopath just say he had a wife?

She turned around and looked him straight in the eye.

"What did you just say?"

Luc looked flustered, and his face had changed colour. He stood up and started muttering.

"Nothing. Nothing, I... I didn't say anything." He had been wrong. He couldn't do it. He couldn't face Eddi.

"Yes you did. You said you had a wife. Why did you say you had a wife, Luc?"

"No reason. Spur of the moment thing. To get you to stay."

"And why did you want me to stay?" The dreaded question. It seemed he was always going to end up here. He was going to have to say it.

"Because…"

"Yes?"

"Because I didn't like it, okay? The thought of not seeing you ever again. The thought that you would never lie next to me or that I could never see you smile. It was driving me crazy." As he finished talking, he stared down at his shoes.

Eddi began to laugh, quietly at first, but it gradually grew louder.

"What? What's so funny?" All softness was gone from Luc's voice. He thought she was laughing at him.

"I was just thinking. When we first met on the roof; I bet you could think of nothing else except not seeing me again!" Luc relaxed slightly as he realised what she was saying; perhaps things could still go his way.

"I pour my heart out and this is how you treat me? Not even a hug for old time's sake?" He was joking around as well. Eddi smiled and walked up to Luc, wrapping her arms around him as she did so. Both were shocked by the obvious electricity between them, and both comforted by the familiar feel, but neither were willing to admit it.

"Friends?" Eddi asked.

"Hmm, with you? I'm not sure. I always viewed myself as somewhat of a sophisticated man." Eddi punched him playfully and they smiled at each other. It was clear, however, that there were still some major issues to be addressed.

"Eddi?"

"Mmm…" She mumbled absently.

"Why were you trying to avoid me?"

"I wasn't…" even she knew it wasn't a very convincing lie.

"So you decided to go behind the bench for what? The danger element? That ever present risk that you might get stuck? Did you honestly think I wasn't going to see you?!"

"Look, it's complicated okay?"

"What in life isn't? Camoxidan?" he spoke tentatively, well aware that it was a sensitive subject.

"Gone."

"That's great!"

"Spare me the patronising, Luc"

"Sorry, sorry. And Leeds? How was it going back?" Eddi walked away from him and looked out over the hills.

"When you want someone to stay, most people say 'stay', No one just events a wife." Eddi had turned back to face him, ignoring his previous question.

"Well that's an interesting little hypothesis. It's getting late so…"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Wasn't anyone's business." He mumbled.

"Where is she now? Or did you pack up and leave on her too." It always seemed to come back to this.

"She's dead." Luc's voice cracked slightly, but he tried to disguise this with a cough.

"What? Oh, I…" Eddi had never felt so guilty in her whole life.

"You didn't know."

"What happened?"

"It was my fault."

"I highly doubt it."

"She was shot."

"Like you could shoot a gun!" Luc glared at her. "I'm sorry, what happened?"

"We were in the army. Both medics. She was called out, she wasn't even supposed to be going; they were a person short. Anyway, while my fiancée was out risking her life, I was out destroying mine."

"How can you possibly destroy your life in one night?"

"I was drinking." Eddi had to admit, that was not what she was expecting.

"She bled to death on the table right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do. I was too drunk to operate." Eddi didn't know how to respond. There were so many answers, so much more made sense, and yet there were so many more questions. For almost a year she'd pried, investigated and wondered what exactly the deal was with Mr Hemingway, and now she knew. She had no idea how to react.

"You can't blame yourself." Even she knew that this sounded feeble in comparison to what he'd just said.

"Yes I can. It was my fault." Why did he have to be so bloody stubborn?

"Did you shoot the gun? No. Did your force her out that night? No. Did you sign her up to the army? No. You know, for a man of science, you aren't half bad at ignoring facts."

"I could've done something…" It was clear to Eddi that Luc now required some tough love.

"Lucas Hemingway, now you need to listen to me! What happened to your wife was horrible, inhumane even, but you couldn't have prevented it! Now if you want to spend the next ten years in a self-loathing pitiful little cocoon, then be my guest. But that's not what she would have wanted! If you behave like this, then your wife died in vain. Do you honestly want her death to have meant nothing?" Luc was initially shocked by Eddi's words; nothing like that had ever been said to him before. If he ever told anyone, they only ever gave him pitiful glances and wishes of apologies as if they somehow had anything to do with it. Eddi had said what no one had dared to say before and he was rather taken aback. However, slowly a discreet little smile crept onto his otherwise forlorn face.

"Full-naming me? Things just got serious!"

**I'm sorry; that was not a very humorous chapter- I didn't really know how to make it so with Luc admitting his past. Anyway, stick with me- I hope to start making it a little more light hearted after we deal with what Eddi got up to after she left. Thanks for reading; please leave me a review!**


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